Gluten-Free Cran-Chai Flax Cookies

Flax seed is sooooo good for you! Being on a lower-carb, wheat-free diet, I get most of my fiber from flax seed. I eat a lot of flax seed. My favorite brand is from Bob's Red Mill, finding that it is the most economical. I buy it already ground (called 'meal'), but you can easily grind it yourself in a coffee grinder. It is important that it is ground because your body can't digest it whole. It just passes through without any of the nutrients being absorbed. And what nutrients are those, you might ask? Why, omega-3 fatty acids, lignans and fiber. Flax seeds are also low-carb. However, all of the carbs are fiber. So essentially, the net carb count is zero. You really can't go wrong adding flax to your diet.

I add flax seed meal to almost everything: oatmeal, crackers, granola bars, pancakes and now cookies. I calculated that each of these cookies has about 140 calories, 3 grams of fiber and 10 grams of sugar. Not too bad! I like to eat one when I want a little treat with my morning coffee. It also makes a great balanced snack along with some protein-rich cottage cheese. The chai spices go well with the nutty taste of the flax. Until next time, enjoy!

Gluten-Free Cran-Chai Flax Cookies
make 14 cookies

Ingredients
1 cup flax seed meal
1 cup blanched almond flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. ground cardamom
1/4 tsp. salt
1/3 cup honey
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
1 egg
1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together all of the dry ingredients.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients with the honey, butter and egg. Mix on medium speed until well-combined. Stir in the cranberries.
4. Place heaping tablespoons-full on the lined cookie sheet and flatten slightly. Bake 20 minutes. Cool cookies on sheet 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.